250,000 cameras are set to track fans

ENGLAND fans travelling to the World Cup will be closely watched by an Orwellian surveillance network of 250,000 cameras.

The CCTV network includes the latest facial-recognition technology and can track fans around the stadiums and fan zones of the Qatari capital, Doha.

It is an offence to drink alcohol or be drunk in public in Qatar, and the Foreign Office has warned Britons travelling to the World Cup they could face prison sentences of up to six months under this law.

The tournament’s head of security has revealed the efforts made to monitor fans in a documentary, Countdown To Qatar, presented by Gary Neville (see left).

Qatar’s security chief, Abdulaziz Abdullah AlAnsari, said it was ‘very important’ for the Qataris to ‘monitor physically’ the movement of fans.

He added that security staff were capable of observing football teams from the second they left the hotel ‘until their locker room’.

Questioned by Neville on the force officers will deploy at the tournament, he said: ‘We are ready to respond to any incidents, but we don’t want to really disrupt the entertainment. If an individual does not harm himself by overdrinking or something like that, or he does not harm anybody else, or he does not damage any public property, then he will be safe.’

Neville tells the documentary: ‘With all eight stadiums within a 50-mile radius and most fans staying in Doha, there is potential for fan trouble.

‘The Qataris are hoping that surveillance technology will help manage the crowds.’